Basic Ethics Flashcards
Applied ethics
discussion of ethical approaches to specific problems of living
Aretaic ethics
term for virtue ethics which concentrates on the goodness of the person rather than the action
Deontic ethics
any type of ethics, such as Kantianism or Utilitarianism which emphasises the actions to be performed
Deontological theories
any ethical system which ignores the outcomes, focusing on whether the act itself is good
Divine Command Theory
something is right because God commands it. this view is rejected by most Christian philosophers
Emotivism
an ethical statement merely shows an emotion and has no factual justification
Natural Law Theory
moral rightness can be determined through careful reflection on the facts of the world: “right reason in accordance with nature”
Normative ethics
theories of ethics which give guidance (norms) on how we should behave along with character traits
Relativism
rightness is culturally or religiously determined therefore incompatibility is justified
Subjectivism
something is right because I say so and for no other reason (Jean-Paul Satre)
Existentialism
a philosophical movement that believes that the universe just exists and has no meaning in itself
Teleological theories
any theory in which goodness or rightness is determined by the outcome
Utilitarianism
the moral doctrine that one should always seek the greatest balance of good over evil
Vulgar Relativism
all beliefs are relative so should be tolerated. this is contradictory because tolerance would be an universal value
Ethics
a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending ideas of right and wrong, often addressing disputes of moral diversity
Is-Ought Fallacy
David Hume
when people debate a moral issue they begin with facts and slide into conclusion that are NORMATIVE- conclusions about how things OUGHT TO BE. facts alone cannot make NORMATIVE CONCLUSIONS.
Absolutism
right and wrong are fixed- moral facts just exist.
Ethical absolutism
a command that is true for all times, all places, all situations and does not change due to culture. certain actions are intrinsically right and wrong.
Moral absolutism
gives people clear guidelines for behaviour, accepts a universal set of absolutes.
Strengths of absolutism
fixed ethical code, can judge other cultures as wrong, supports universal rules.
Weaknesses of absolutism
no account of circumstances e.g. self defence in murder, intolerant of cultural values.
Relativism
right and wrong are subjective; circumstances matter. different to each person, not universal.
Why do people believe in relativism?
religious authority has decreased- it’s more subjective now. better understanding of cultural views. differing behaviours are accepted by different cultures.
Strengths of relativism
accepting of other cultures. encourages people to think for themselves.
Weaknesses of relativism
no universal standard- can lead to questioning moral values. ‘do what I want to do’ mentality.
Which does ‘teleological’ refer to?
relativism. considering the purpose/consequences.
Which does ‘deontological’ refer to?
absolutism. innate and universal beliefs, despite any consequences.
Logic
the structure of an argument to provide an answer.
Non-contradiction
the assumption that contradiction is not allowed or logically possible
Excluded middle
everything either has a quality or a negative of that quality however it can’t have both
Epistemology
the word come from ‘episteme’ which means knowledge.
A Priori (Plato)
not dependant on sense experiences- facts that wont change. the absolute truth. e.g. maths. PRIOR to experiences
A Posteriori (Aristotle)
depends on sense experience (empirical knowledge). must be observed. based on consequences and depends on the situation. POST experiences.
Metaphysics
‘meta’ meaning beyond. split into cosmological and ontological.
Apparent Good
something that seems to be good or the right thing to do, but which doesn’t seem to fit the perfect human ideal.
Deontological
Latin- ‘duty’
ethics focuses on the intrinsic rightness and wrongness of an action
absolutism.
Divine Law
that which is revealed by God such as the 10 commandments.
Aquinas- it teaches what our natural reason is capable of knowing
Eternal Law
principles by which God made and controls the universe which are only fully known to God
Eudaimonia
living well, as an ultimate end in life, which all other actions should lead to
Intrinsically Good
something which is good in itself, without reference to the consequences.
Lex
Latin term from which we derive ‘legislation’
ius
Latin term from which we derive ‘law’- justice
Manualist
Author of one of the manuals (1600-1900), textbooks usually written in Latin that were used to instruct catholic monks/nuns. often legalist (primary emphasis on legal principles) in tone.
Practical Reason
the tool that makes moral decisions
Purpose
right/wrong of an action can be discovered by looking at whether or not the action agrees with human purpose
Real Good
the right thing to do- it fits the human ideal
St Thomas Aquinas
1225 - 1274
born at Roccasena, Italy
a Dominican friar best known for 2 great Summas
attempted to rethink Christianity, in the light of Aristotelian learning.
Aristotle
384 - 322 BC
Macedonian
son of the court physician
contemporary of Plato- studied at academy for 20 years
disagreed with Plato
made his own school- ‘The Lyceum’
Richard Hooker
1554 - 1600
COE priest and theologian
‘Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie’ 1594
Cicero
106 - 43 BC
consul of the roman republic
Hugo Grotius
1583 - 1645
protestant Dutch legal theorist
‘The Law of War and Peace’
major contributor to NML and just war theories
John Finnis
1940 - present
philosopher and natural law theorist
‘Natural Law and Natural Rights’
developed Aquinas’ view
The Stoics
Greek (Zeno) and Roman (Cicero) philosophers.
stoicism sets out to remind us of how unpredictable the world can be, how brief our moment in life is, how to be strong and how to be in control of yourself.
the source of our dissatisfaction lies in our impulsive dependency on our reflexive senses rather than logic.